Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates, in general, to devices and methods for therapeutic treatment of an individual to improve cardiac, pulmonary, and muscle function, and, more particularly, to devices and methods for applying compression or pressure to a wearer's body with an air evacuation or vacuum pump.
Description of the Related Art
Applying pressure and thermal energy to areas of the human body are common methods for treating muscle injuries and chronic pain. Pressure is known to encourage healing by improving blood flow and circulation, as well by providing support for injured muscle tissue. Most simply, compressive garments, sleeves, braces, and wraps are used to protect pulled muscles, relieve pain, and to prevent further injury. However, sleeves and wraps only provide limited compressive force. Specifically, compressive force is limited based on the elasticity of the sleeve or garment or by how tightly a wrap or bandage is wound about the affected body region. Additionally, the more compressive force the garment provides, the more difficult it is to put on and take off. Furthermore, compressive garments are most useful for treatment of extremities (e.g., legs and arms) and are generally not suitable for simultaneous treatment of multiple body regions. Further still, over time, the sleeve or wrap becomes loose, reducing the compressive force being provided. Additionally, wraps and sleeves are incapable of providing pulsating or varying force, which would provide additional pain relief.
Systems and devices for applying pressure by massaging muscular tissue are also well known. Massage devices typically include a vibrating mechanism, such as an electric motor, enclosed within a sleeve or rigid housing. Pressing the enclosure or housing against a portion of the patient's body transfers the vibrational force to the body, thereby providing treatment for sore muscle tissue. An exemplary vibration apparatus for enhanced vibrational massage therapy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,705,500. Vibration mechanisms may by inserted into or provided with compressive sleeves for simultaneous compression and massage-type treatment.
Negative vacuum pressure systems have also been created to treat body tissue, to improve tissue function or appearance, and/or to reduce pain. These systems generally provide a negative-pressure chamber that encloses about a portion of the body. Application of negative pressure improves circulation and blood flow through regions of the body. In certain versions of the systems, a user wears a negative-pressure suit or enclosure during physical activity to encourage blood flow to specific body regions. Increasing blood flow during exercise has numerous therapeutic benefits, including increasing metabolic rate, which increases the metabolization of fat tissue in the target body region.
Negative pressure systems and devices typically comprise an airtight or approximately air tight flexible clothing article wrapped about a portion of a user's body. The article is attached to a vacuum pump for evacuating air from the cavity between the clothing article and the user's skin. The systems also include a support layer or structure for preventing the outer layer (e.g., the clothing article) from collapsing around the patient as air is evacuated from the cavity. In this way, a cavity between the clothing article and body region having a negative pressure is formed. An exemplary negative-pressure fitness device is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,384,379. However, such a system does not provide compression or support for injured tissue and, as such, does not provide certain desirable therapeutic results.
The devices and systems described above do not provide sufficient compressive or pulsating pressure against the body to achieve certain desirable therapeutic results. Particularly, these devices and systems do not provide enough pressure or compressive force to treat cardiovascular, pulmonary, skeletal, and muscle systems of a patient's body. Additionally, the above-described devices and systems are often difficult to put on and take off, making it more difficult to achieve desired therapeutic results. Therefore, a need exists for improved devices and systems for providing a consistent compressive force to a patient to improve body function.